Gold Glitter Flats : Jumping Right In: Closing Doors and Opening Windows

The end of the school year is always pretty chaotic. Aside from finals, there's lots of packing, graduations, celebrations and goodbyes. Personally, I'm pretty relieved that this school year is just about over. While it was wildly successful in some regards, it was also incredibly challenging and definitely tested my limits. Between upper division classes, my nanny schedule, volunteer obligations and some daunting personal issues, there was more than one occasion where I felt like I was falling apart at the seams. I spent a lot of time beating myself up, when in retrospect I probably would have been better off if I accepted that some things were out of my control.

That being said, this year was not all bad. Both the good and the bad came in waves so I either felt like I was on top of the world, or I was trudging through the nine circles of hell. I guess that's what happens when we fail to address our needs and our problems as they arise. While I prioritized my extracurriculars and aiding in the successes of those around me, I "forgot" to take care of myself. I worked out when I had time rather than making time for it and I took breaks when I was burnt out rather than taking breaks to avoid burnout. However, I don't regret anything that happened this year. Am I proud of everything that happened? Nope. Did I learn a lot? Yup. And that's good enough for me!

On Thursday I will be heading home for the summer, something I'm quite excited about. I will be working at the preschool where I've assisted since 2009 while also taking on a new leadership role for an internship. I'll be traveling a little (flying to Nashville, road tripping to Wisconsin and visiting family), but I'm really looking forward to a fairly consistent schedule and some R&R. It's gonna be a good summer, I can feel it!

On a totally different note, I took a break from the books to enjoy my last couple days in the Cruz!